About

$37,710

pledged of $35,000 goal

618

backers

UPDATE: STRETCH GOAL REACHED! (July 26th)

STRETCH GOAL UPDATE (July 25th)

37K Everyone gets Matthew Dow Smith's Digital Sketchbook!

Today we hit more than $36,000 and it gave me an idea. I called a member of our advisory board, Matthew Dow Smith (artist/writer Dr Who, The October Girl, Starman) and brought up the digital sketchbook I knew he was planning on releasing next year. I asked if I were able to make an obtainable stretch goal, would he be interested in giving it FREE to all our backers. I'm very happy to say that answer was yes. And that it would be ready in September. So if we reach $37,000 all of you will be the absolute first to receive Matthew Dow Smith's Digital Sketchbook! Below is the cover!

CHECK OUT OUR VIDEO UPDATE! (July 10th)

What is ComiXwriter™?

ComiXwriter™ will be the world's first software solely dedicated to writing scripts for comic books and graphic novels.

In the comic book world, the script writing options have been limited to a time consuming word processor or an expensive screenwriting program that doesn't fulfill all the specialized needs of comics. No longer. ComiXwriter™ will be a more affordable, easy to use comprehensive tool that will not only automate the necessary structure, but will include features allowing the writer to collaborate more effectively with the artist, colorist and letterer.

Whether you're a working pro, a part time independent creator or just someone who has a great story that would make an awesome comic book...ComiXwriter™ is for you!

Demonstration graphic, not the actual software.

ComiXwriter™ features:

Automatically changes margins

Instantly changes capitalization/bold/underlining

Properly handles line spacing

Built-in Outlining and Organization tools

Automatic Page numbering

Automatic Panel numbering

Automatic Page breaks

Ability to make Notation on pages

Ability to embed graphics

Ability to save in PDF,Word and RTF documents

Tab/Enter typing system lets you focus on story, not format

Available for Mac and PC

Customer Support: Great software comes with great responsibility

Collaborating function

One of our favorite features is the collaboration ability with the artist. ComiXwriter™ allows you to bring up the artwork for the page you've written in an easy side by side viewer. This will allow you to edit that script page if necessary and even make notations on the artwork, if changes are made or requested, it saves to document for return to the artist, colorist or letterer.

MORE SAMPLE SCRIPT FORMAT EXAMPLES

We understand that unlike screenplays, there are many different ways you can write a comic book script. ComiXwriter™ allows you to choose from the many sample scripts it offers and pick the one that best suits your style of writing. You can also alter any of the sample scripts into the format you'd prefer to use. Once you pick your format, ComiXwriter™ will start it's automation as you write. You saw a depiction of one our our sample scripts further up on this page. Here are a few more:

SAMPLE A

Demonstration graphic, not the actual software

SAMPLE B

Demonstration graphic, not the actual software

SAMPLE C

Demonstration graphic, not the actual software

If you write comic books, want to write comic books, love comic books or just think what we are doing is pretty darn cool...we have rewards for you!

Here are some highlights!

LIVES: Graphic Novel

LIVES grew out of a pitch Glenn Farrington made to First Comics at last year's San Diego Comic Con. A couple of years earlier, during a conversation with Larry Young, he had already been thinking about a software for writing comic books …but now, finally getting his break to write one and the frustration he had with the scriptwriting software available, pushed him into saying, “That’s it…I’m going to make ComiXwriter happen”!

We know many people coming to our Kickstarter page are comic book fans, but may not have the urge to write one. However, they still realize how important ComiXwriter™ is and want to be a part of making it happen. That was the decision behind allowing LIVES to be a reward level. We think it's a great way of saying thank you for supporting Comixwriter™!

LIVES follows the lives of five people during the course of a single day. During that time you’ll find out not only how they are all connected…but how you, the reader, connect with them as well. LIVES will be SIGNED by Glenn Farrington (writer) and by The Fillbach Brothers (artists). ComiXwriter™ would never have happened it wasn't for LIVES. LIVES is not only an important book on its own, it’s a part of ComiXwriter™ history.

*********UPDATE JULY 24TH*********

"It's rare that I come across a pure gem of a comic book, one that tells a story so succinctly and effortlessly that I'm compelled to immediately read it a second and a third time in the same sitting. Lives debuted this past weekend at SDCC and is a breath of fresh air on the comic racks..."

"...Many readers who will find Lives personally meaningful, but I would also add it to the list of required reading for anyone interested in the craft of creating comics as an example of how to tell a story without the clutter of dialogue, of the magic inherent to "Show, Don't Tell."

ComiXwriter™ T-shirts

Artwork created by The Fillbach Brothers for ComiXwriter™ !

Advisory Panel member Matthew Dow Smith will do a custom character design, full body and close up on head, based on YOUR ORIGINAL CHARACTER!

Have your original character designed by artist and writer Matthew Dow Smith. He'll take a description of one of your characters and draw a possible design for them, complete with a full body shot and closeup of the character's head!

JIM BEAVER AWARD

The opportunity to have YOUR NAME or a NAME of your choosing replace a CHARACTER NAME in our sample scripts!

(ComiXwriter™ reserves the option of making a Judge Dredd decision on whether your substituted name is appropriate for viewing)

The opportunity to submit your graphic novel script for coverage and notes from Larry Young of AiT Planet Lar plus ComiXwriter™ software.

This will be limited to only 50 backers for $70.

How do I do an Add On?

Easy...click the blue 'manage your pledge' button; at the top right of this page. Then increase your pledge to cover the add-on price. DO NOT SWITCH your original reward. Then send us a message by clicking the 'contact me' and let us know you purchased an add on. We'll set everything up on our end and reply with a confirmation!

INTERNATIONAL SHIPPING FOR ADD ONS STILL APPLY

Larry has been called the "Johnny Appleseed of Comics," has a B.A. in English from Clark University, and has worked in print since 1981. Young has the unique distinction of having daily involvement in all aspects of the comic book industry including creative, production, publishing, distribution and retailing. He is the Chief Visionary, Creative Engine, and Marketing Guru for AiT/Planet Lar. He is also the author of many comic books and graphic novels including Astronauts In Trouble and Black Diamond. AiT Planet Lar

Matthew Dow Smith has drawn comics for nearly every major American comic book publisher. His work has appeared in HELLBOY, ASTRONAUTS IN TROUBLE: LIVE FROM THE MOON, STARMAN and NIGHTCRAWLER. He is a frequent contributor to IDW's DOCTOR WHO comics as both an artist and a writer, and has written special WHO comics for the BBC and the BBCAmerica Shop. He is currently the writer and artist of MonkeyBrain Comics THE OCTOBER GIRL and is working on his first novel, NIGHT FOLK. www.matthewdowsmith.com

Richard Starkings

Richard is a British Font Designer and a comic book letterer and editor. In 1992 Starkings founded Comicraft, a studio which trains and employs letterers and designers and provides "Unique Design and Fine Lettering. This makes Richard one of the early pioneers of computer based comic book lettering and as a result is one of the most prolific creators in the comic book industry. He is also the author of many comic books and graphic novels including the long running series Elephantmen. www.comicraft.com

Matt and Shawn Fillbach are Honky Tonk Heroes, Cartoon Cowboys, born to draw comics at their own speed and masters of the quick draw. You have seen their artwork in countless of comic books including Star Wars: The Clone Wars. They are the artists and authors of Road Kill, the upcoming Captain Freebird - An American Prayer and Cadaver Dogs. Matt and Shawn were huge helps when we wanted to have a better understanding of the artists needs when it comes to scripts. They also look exactly like their drawing of themselves. www.fillbachbros.com

Matt and Shawn Fillbach

What the Pros are saying...

“In nearly a decade of writing comics, I've
had the good fortune to write for almost every major publisher, from Marvel and
DC to Image. I've been even more fortunate to work with some of the most
talented co-creators - artists, colorists letterers and editors.

Comics is
a collaborative medium, but one of the obstacles has always been getting
all these talented people and publishers on the same page - literally.
Each new project is a new challenge for all involved to communicate with each
other because, unlike screenwriting, there is no set format or software
standard to help make collaboration the joy it should be.

ComiXwriter has the potential to change that. And if there's anyone
to make it a reality, it's Glenn and his partner Steve Sashen.
Beyond their impressive writing and business resumes, Glenn clearly has a
passion for comics and a rare respect for and understanding of its
creators."

- Mark Sable

Graveyard
of Empires, Unthinkable, Two-Face: Year One.

"I've written features,
TV, animation and comics -- and comics by far have the most difficult
production requirements for blending the writer and artist's vision. We've
needed a comics-specific script-app for a while, and I think the ComiXwriter
guys have cracked it."

"A comic book
scriptwriting program? As a total computer idiot, I'm really looking forward to
trying this out - if it succeeds in making my job easier, I'll sing the good
news from the rooftops."

- Alan Grant

Judge Dredd, Batman, Lobo, The Loxleys and the War of 1812, Tales of the Buddha

“Sounds great”

- Kevin Smith

Green Hornet, Daredevil

“Screenwriters benefit from a lot of bespoke
software that takes the grind out of the writing process. Formatting,
pagination, remembering and dropping in repeated elements - these are all
things that potentially make you lose momentum, and if you're writing for TV or
the movies, the program will do them for you and leave you free to fly.
But there's never been anything similar for comics writers, and there really
should be.

Comics scripts are almost as
highly formatted as screenplays, and involve just as many repeated
elements. If there were a program that dropped in panel addresses,
remembered character names, automatically distinguished description from
dialogue, allowed you to view concept art and page roughs alongside your draft
script, and came ready supplied with a range of script templates, I think I'd
want to get my hands on that program. And this is exactly what
ComiXwriter aims to be...”

“A software program for writing comic book scripts?!
That's more awesome that having an adamantium-laced skeleton, animal-keen
senses and a super-human healing factor. Sign me up!”

- Steve Kriozere

TV writer-producer, graphic
novelist and pancake master chef

"I don't know if my books would have
sold better if I'd had a great comic book writing program to work off of but it
sure would have made it A LOT easier and made my scripts look like I actually
knew what I was doing.”

- Ron Zimmerman

Spider-Man: Get Kraven, The
Punisher, The Thing, Ultimate Adventures and yes, The Raw Hide Kid

"A comic script has a lot in common with a screenplay; both use words to communicate a story to those who must translate it into a clear, audience-pleasing visual... but the mechanics are different. There are more moving parts to a comic page, and they need to be reflected in the script. Panels and balloons aren't native to the screenwriting or word processing software of the world, meaning a wide variety of tweaks made by a wide variety of writers to get their point across. I can't speak for other writers, but for me, formatting the script to overcome the incompatible elements takes time away from generating the stories. It slows me down. Anything that gives me back some of that time would be most excellent.

- Erik Burnham

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Ghostbusters

"Sometimes writing is like digging a really long ditch; but at least with
ComiXwriter you have a shiny new shovel."

"Screenwriters have
them, novelists have them, it's long past time comic book writers had a word
processing program designed around their specific needs. As a writer who draws, the
idea of being able to have designs, layouts and pages side by side with a
script is just about the most awesome thing I've ever heard."

- Matthew Dow Smith

Dr Who, The October Girl

Check out the Websites and Podcasts talking about ComiXwriter™

ABOUT OUR VIDEO!

We hope you enjoyed it as much as we had fun making it! We'd like to thank The Comics Factory in Pasadena California for opening their doors at an ungodly hour for our film shoot.The following are the cast and crew that made it an incredible experience!

UPDATE: We are a proud to be a part of the "Kicking it Forward" campaign. We promise to continue to support and promote other Kickstarter projects in the future with profits we are able to make from ComiXwriter™ sales. Take a look at more projects here:
http://kickingitforward.org

Risks and challenges

As with designing any new software the main challenge is time. The last thing you want to do is rush a software to the market that's buggy. We will do a private beta release in three to four months to work out as many glitches and bugs that we can find. The final main release will be a few months after that. We currently plan to have the final ComiXwriter™ software ready for a February 2014 launch. We think it would make a great Valentine's present.

Support

Select this reward

Pledge $1 or more
About $1.00

Thank you for helping us fund ComiXwriter™. We'll be forever indebted to you and will be proud to display your name, along with every other backer's name, on a special page on our website! You'll also be kept informed on the progress of ComiXwriter™

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $14 or more
About $14

LIVES: The book that gave birth to ComiXwriter™! LIVES is a 9" X 13" hardcover graphic novel with a page count of 24 pages plus end-papers. LIVES will be SIGNED by Glenn Farrington and the Fillbach Brothers. It will be available for $9.99 this fall. We are placing it at a reward level of $14 to cover the shipping and the large padded mail envelope. Also included, a high resolution digital download of the Fillbach Brother's two pieces of art commissioned for ComiXwriter™'s Kickstarter project!

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $15 or more
About $15

Sticker Package: Three 3" x 10" Rectangular Stickers and One 3" Oval Sticker. This package also includes the high resolution digital download of the Fillbach Brother's art and your name, along with every other backer's name, on a special page on our ComiXwriter™ website!

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $20 or more
About $20

The Fillbach Brothers Posters: You'll receive both posters designed exclusively for the ComiXwriter™ Kickstarter project. They are 11 x 17 Posters on 100 lb paper stock! Plus you get the high resolution digital downloads. You'll also be kept informed on the progress of ComiXwriter™

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $25 or more
About $25

The Fillbach Brothers SIGNED Posters: You receive both exclusive posters SIGNED by The Fillbach Brothers They are 11 x 17 Posters on 100 lb paper stock! PLUS you also get the high resolution digital downloads. You'll also be kept informed on the progress of ComiXwriter™

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $45 or more
About $45

Golden Age Reward: We really wanted to reward the first ones to "Kickstart" our project. For the first 250 of you, we're offering one full digital download of ComiXwriter™ for less than half the retail price of $99.00!

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $47 or more
About $47

ComiXwriter™ Convention Special Reward: ComiXwriter™ will be at San Diego Comic Con! To honor this yearly incredible event we're running a special reward price for one full digital download of ComiXwriter™ ! (still less than half the retail price). If you're at the show, stop by and say hello at Booth #2001

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $50 or more
About $50

Silver Age Reward: You might have missed the early bird special, but we got your backer back. The next 300 of you will get a full digital download of ComiXwriter™! A saving $49 off the retail price of $99!

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $60 or more
About $60

Comicraft Letterer Award: We know there are many comic book writers that are also letterers. Our advisory panel member Richard Starkings, graciously offered this reward for all of you that letter or might be thinking of lettering someday. There will be a selection of comic book fonts for you to choose from!

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $70 or more
About $70

AiT Planet Lar Reward: One full digital Download of ComiXwriter™! A savings of $39 off the retail price of $99! PLUS - You can submit your graphic novel script to Ait Planet Lar publishing for script coverage and notes. You will be able to submit your script for coverage/notes in September 2013

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $75 or more
About $75

Modern Age Reward: The whole shebang! You get a t-shirt, 2 Posters, Digital Art, and one full digital download of ComiXwriter™! A savings of $94! The digital art will be ready in August, the shirt and posters will go out in September!

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $200 or more
About $200

Matthew Dow Smith Reward: Have your original character designed by artist, writer and ComiXwriter™ Advisory Panel member Matthew Dow Smith. He'll take a description of one of your characters and draw a possible design for them, complete with a full body shot and closeup of the character's head! PLUS One full digital Download of ComiXwriter™!

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $250 or more
About $250

Your name or name of your choosing, to be used as a Character name (within reason, we will make a Judge Dredd decision on it) forever emblazoned in the ComiXwriter sample scripts! Plus, you get one full download of our awesome ComiXwriter™ software!

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $250 or more
About $250

VIP LAUNCH PARTY! Come Party with Us! You and a friend are invited to join us for our official ComiXwriter™ launch party here in Los Angeles! Come mingle with us and all our friends for a night of food, fun and magic! Plus, many amazing surprise guests from the TV, Film and the Comic Book World! The party will be in March of 2014. You will need to supply your own transportation. This will also include one full digital download of ComiXwriter™ and two ComiXwriter™ T-Shirts. Hope to see you there!

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $300 or more
About $300

Jim Beaver Reward: You’ve seen Jim on Supernatural, Deadwood and Justified. And now you’re going to see Jim on a personal Skype call with you! Jim was thrilled to support ComiXwriter™ by being in our video and now Jim wants to personally thank you for backing ComiXwriter™ on Kickstarter! You will need a Skype account in order to partake in this reward. The Fillbach Brothers digital artwork download and ComiXwriter™ software are included in this reward.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $500 or more
About $500

ComiXwriter™ BETA Reward: Once you get our Beta in your hands, why not have one of your comic book written pages turned into a full inked page of artwork. The Fillbach Brothers will take your single page (It can also be a full page splash) and bring it to life! This reward also includes the Fillbach Brothers digital download and ComiXwriter™ software.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $1,500 or more
About $1,500

Retailer Signing: Glenn Farrington will come to your store at a mutually agreed upon time and date following the production of the hard cover graphic novel LIVES. You get 10 signed copies of the book (Fillbach Brothers signatures included) and three copies of ComiXwriter™ software. Glenn will take care of travel and accommodations. CONTINENTAL U.S. and CANADA ONLY

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $2,600 or more
About $2,600

Retailer Signing: Glenn Farrington and the Fillbach Brothers will come to your store at a mutually agreed upon time and date following the production of the hard cover graphic novel LIVES and The Fillbach Brothers graphic novel Cadaver Dogs. You get 10 signed copies of LIVES and 10 signed copies of Cadaver Dogs. Also included are three copies of ComiXwriter™ software. Glenn, Shawn and Matt will take care of Travel and accommodations. CONTINENTAL U.S. and CANADA ONLY

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $5,000 or more
About $5,000

VIP PRIVATE DINNER: You and a guest are invited to a private dinner with the cast of the ComiXwriter™ Kickstarter Video. Jim Beaver (Supernatural, Deadwood, Justified), Jason Earles (Hannah Montana, Kickin’ It), Joel McCary (Thor, Princess Diaries), Glenn Farrington and Steven Sashen. You also get 2 tickets to our VIP PARTY, ComiXwriter™ software, Fillbach Brothers digital download and signed posters, Sticker Package, ComiXwriter™ T-Shirt for you and your friend and a professional photo taken of the both of you, with the cast! Currently the dinner will be in November of 2013 in Los Angeles. Because of TV and FILM acting conflicts, a scheduled date might need to be changed. If that should occur we will do our best to work with you to arrange another date. You will need to supply your own transportation.